Gaming Nexus Fall Preview 2009

While it seems like the 2009 holiday season is going to be known more for the games that ship (such as Bioshock 2) it doesn't mean there aren't a lot of high quality games available this year. With that in mind we hit up our staff and asked them which games they were looking forward to playing this fall season in hopes of reminding folks that there are a lot of high quality games coming out this year.

Charles HusemannUncharted 2 - As a huge fan of the first game I'm looking forward to seeing what Naughty Dog has in store for Nathan drake in his sophomore game. The addition of multiplayer and co-op just makes me want the game more.

Brutal Legend - I think I've irritated almost everyone on the staff with my love for the game but as a huge Tim Schafer fan I'm looking forward to playing through the adventures of Eddie Riggs and seeing if the game lives up to my expectations or not.

Borderlands - The game has made huge leaps since I first saw it two years ago and I think the folks at Gearbox are going to have a bit of a sleeper hit this year if the game plays as good as it looks.

Scribblenauts - Loved the game at E3 and this could be that rare quirky title that strikes a cord with a large audience. I am a bit concerned about the game being a bit too esoteric for some but I'm stoked about the game's release on September 15th.

John YanCall of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 - I've been a big fan of the series since day 1 and any one done by Infinity Ward so far has been awesome. On the surface there doesn't seem to be too much that makes this much of an improvement over Modern Wardfare but I'm betting Infinity Ward has a bunch of tricks of up their sleeve to make this an awesome, awesome game.
Borderlands - I'm a sucker for good co-op games and this one had me hooked at E3. With the ability to jump in and out of your friend's games with ease and a ton of guns, Borderlands looks like a ton of fun to play.

Left 4 Dead 2 - More zombies, new environments, melee weapons, dynamic map paths, and more zombies. Did I say more zombies?

Ben BerryNHL 10 & NHL 2K10 - Every year these titles spark my need to play video games, and coincide with the turning of the weather towards more gaming friendly temperatures. The EA franchise continues to entrench itself as perhaps the best sports title going, while the 2K title looks to build on last years re-write with some much needed graphical upgrades.

Left 4 Dead 2 - I didn't get a chance to play the first one, but I'm all about zombie killing (or is that re-killing?) and am definitely looking forward to giving this one a shot.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - OK, it has no official release date yet, it's not on any leaked sales charts or anything else. But If you asked me what game would I sit down and play today if I could, it'd be this one. This will stay on my list until it releases, and it's the kind of game I'd be willing to go buy a high end PC to play it on.

Chad SmithNew Super Mario Bros. Wii - Old school gaming that can be shared. The only real reason our Wii has lasted this long in our house is how much fun it is when company comes over. This game looks to have a lot of promise.
NHL 10 - This game really looks like it's shaping up to be a solid title. I don't need a first person fighting experience, but everything else looks awesome including the play against the boards and more passing options.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - every time I see a video or preview for this game, my jaw drops. There's a soft spot in my heart for any thing Marvel and this game shows off some of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe.

Tyler SagerDragon Age: Origins - I'm always excited about a new RPG, and this spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate looks to be just want I'm looking for. I got to check out a nice guided tour at GenCon this year, and that only added to my anticipation. I think I'll stick with the PC version, provided this old horse of a rig can handle things.

Uncharted 2 - I thoroughly enjoyed the original, and still go back from time to time just to scratch that adventure itch. A perfect blend of action and puzzles, with a great story rife with humor.

Majesty 2 - Sure, this one will probably fly under the radar of most gamers, but the original RTS kingdom sim was a blast for me. Once again players will have to bribe and cajole their units into action, hoping the bounty on that monster's head is enough to attract the attention of the best heroes of the land. The unique spin on the RTS genre makes this series stand out from the rest. Hopefully this one lives up to my expectations.

Jake WolfeStar Wars battlefront: Elite Squadron - Taking everything good in the previous Battlefronts and making them 10 times better. Adding land battle plus space battle for a battle across land, air, and space, adding some more features to galactic conquest, and adding a much, much deeper level to customizing your soldier.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - I didn't get to play much of the first Ultimate Alliance, but I did play a few minutes of it on the PSP. I don't own the first one, but I won't miss out on the second one. Depending on whether or not I have any money left over after I buy my PS3 at the end of the year, I'll be picking this one up for sure.

And like Ben and Chad, I'm a bit interested in The Old Republic, but if it's pay-to-play, I'll probably just have to forget about it.

Tina AminiLeft 4 Dead 2 - Left 4 Dead was a game I easily became addicted too. Smart zombies (on top of the necessary dumb ones), awesome multiplayer on Xbox Live – the only thing I could ask for to avoid any possible monotony was more maps. That’s where Left 4 Dead 2 comes in. Plus, I have an affinity for New Orleans, which will be the setting for one of the new maps. Way to heed my call, Valve!

Uncharted 2 - When I think “puzzles” I don’t just think of old guys on park benches playing chess against each other. Well, that too. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was an exciting puzzle-type game, and the successor promises to delve deeper into the storyline and character development of Nathan Drake as a thief. With improved gameplay mechanics, we should be looking forward to an even more tactical game.

Wet - I wont have to hold my breath much longer for the release of this game. The demo proved to be action packed, and surprisingly versatile, which I hope will still hold water when the game is out. Who wouldn’t want to play as a badass chick who can gun/slash you down while flying mid-air?

Demon’s Souls - Already released in Japan, we’ve been getting sneak peaks at this game for some time. Most exciting about this game is probably the online aspect in which you can dabble with both co-op and PvP gameplay. The game takes your actions into significant consideration – where even in death they have consequences and can be rewarded or punished – and this includes your interactions with other players. Looking to be a unique RPG exclusive to the PS3.

Matt MirkovichMuramasa: The Demon Blade - Yeah this title is probably already out by the time you read this, but that doesn't change the fact that my hunger for this game is downright ravenous. Beautiful 2-D by Vanillaware and a gameplay system that creator George Kamitani describes as a successor to Legend of Kage has this game at the top of my list.

Beatmania IIDX: Empress 16th Style - Yes, another year, another Beatmania title. After a decade of playing this series I still continue to enjoy it, much like a football fan loves his yearly Madden, I love my yearly update of quirky Japanese techno/hardcore/synth pop/genre that they invent. This new version comes with a second disc rounding out the setlist to over 180 songs.

DJ Hero - Yeah as much as I hear the whole "Konami" did it first thing from a variety of music game fan boys, I am looking forward to this one. Since the whole concept of mash-ups is something I enjoy I look forward to whatever musical pairings the late DJ AM, DJ Shadow and a few other guys with DJ in front of their names have to offer. And I'm sure all my co-workers will laugh at me while I play it, and ask if I'm a real DJ.

No More Heroes 2 - While technically a post holiday release, I still cannot state enough how much I want to play this game. After hearing it was going to be playable at PAX I looked up hotel/plane ticket prices and then told myself to calm down. There are plenty of other games coming out before January that I can play. But none of them have me wielding two light sab... I mean beam swords, or a chick with a fake French accent talking through my Wii remote as if it were a phone.

Sean ColleliC.O.P. The Recruit - Ever since I played this at the UbiNintendo event I can't get it out of my head. I loved GTA Chinatown Wars and even though COP is a significantly different game, the idea of a portable sandbox game still wows me. The sheer volume of content--the programmers are doing workcounts on their comments to cram more in--is unheard of for a DS title, especially one in full 3D. The only thing that worries me are the slightly stiff controls, but the developers seemed so proud of their game and enthusiastic that they're probably polishing the daylights out of it.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - I know John already mentioned this but I have to admit, this is the obvious, high-profile title that I'm anticipating most. A lot of people are excited about the multiplayer but personally I'm more intrigued by the solo campaign. MW1 and World at War both did a great job at telling an atmospheric war story, and I hope MW2 has more levels like Chernobyl and the Stalingrad massacre.

Scribblenauts - Yeah, it's on Chuck's list but as the Nintendo guy this is the only other DS game that has me really interested, and it's far more compelling than anything from Nintendo...Zelda on a train? Give me a break. Scribblenauts is where it's at. I love games that let you tinker with logic possibilities without breaking the system, and Scribblenauts was designed around that idea. Besides the various sacrilegious battles my atheist fancy will wage between various deities, I want to see just how compounded you can make the sequential property links between items, like a boat "knowing" it is supposed to burn because it in turn is made of wood. The system 5th cell described is the first game engine I've seen that is truly free-form and largely adaptive--I'd love to see Valve integrate something like this into Source.

Red Steel 2 - I'm going to take Matt's tactic of a barely 2010 game, considering it's supposedly coming pretty early after some extra polish. I appreciated what they were trying to do with the first game even though they didn't have the time or tech to make it happen, but with WiiMotion Plus a katana simulator is finally possible. Besides the seamless gun/sword combat feeling so natural, I'm in love with the art style. The over-saturated look was distracting and overpowering in the new Prince of Persia, but in a stylish street-samurai western like Red Steel 2, it uses the Wii to the best of its ability.

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company for review.